Believing Dreams of Little Skies
by seiano
Summary: It’s gonna be okay. Believe in the dreams of those little skies and reach for the universe and everything else will be okay. Really? postSeigaku fic
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the manga or the anime of Prince of Tennis. Blah, blah, blah… you get the rest. -- Seiano (yup, this is my official name for all my works. So if you see Seiano Productions or Seiano Inc. on artwork, it's me -- online that is.)

Believing Dreams of Little Skies

By: Seiano

Prologue

Narita Airport, Japan – aboard United Airlines Boeing 787

"_Everyone, thank you for everything."_

Music blared from a set of sleek, new black Bose headphones connected to a silver blue multi-functioned mp3. The slender fingers that held the small electronic device played with the round silver clasp on the side.

"Flight 356 to New York City, USA has been delayed for ten minutes due to air traffic. We are sorry for the inconvenience. However…"

The owner of the mp3 sighed in frustration and subconsciously let her finger play with the joystick of the device. Lost in her own thoughts, her fingers stopped playing with the device and allowed it to play the song Dream Believer.

"_Huh? You sound as if you're leaving forever."_

She looked out the thick glass window and let her golden chocolate eyes rest on group of people on the balcony of the airport. One seemed to be jumping up and down in ecstasy. A small smile tugged at her tense figures.

_Wake up! Get Up! Stand up! … It's gonna be okay… _

She turned to the front to lean forward and open her carry-on. With one fluid motion, she pulled out a white blue and red striped jacket. Flipping it over, she slipped it on with great ease and pulled up the engraved silver zipper. Her pale eyelids fluttered to close and her breathing fell in rhythm to the song as she lay back in her chair, allowing the song to lull her to sleep.

"_I'm leaving for America tomorrow for good. I thought you'd all like to know."_

------

On this sunny, crisp fall day, an assembly of young people stood on the balcony of the airport staring at the cluttered airstrip, save one who was jumping up and down, flailing his arms in all directions.

"Eiji, please stop."

The ecstatic individual turned around to acknowledge the voice with a pout.

"Demo, buchou, I want to say good bye!"

All heads suddenly turned to face a subgroup of three people at the corner of the balcony: a boy with honey brown hair with glasses, another boy with unmistakably blue hair with an obvious beauty mark on his face and a girl with dark piercing black hair and eyes.

"Eiji, we all want to say good bye," the honey brown haired boy replied.

"But if we had known earlier…" the redhead complained.

"_Why didn't you tell us earlier? We would have helped you through all those problems."_

"But we didn't," a cold response came from the blue haired one.

Brown haired one sighed as he readjusted his glasses. "That's just how she is, and we can't do anything about it."

"_If I told you, you guys would never let me go."_

Silence fell upon the gathering as gravity wove her spell upon all of their hearts. Their eyes followed the bright Boeing 787 that flew from the airstrip eastbound.

"_This is goodbye."_

"Sayonara… Kane"

_It's gonna be okay. _Believe in thedreams of those little skies _and reach for the universe and everything else will be okay._


	2. Okairi

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, but it definitely claims the top of my Christmas wish list. Jk

Believing Dreams of Little Skies

By: Seiano

Chapter 1: Okairi

"_Saiyonara, Kane."_

'_Wake up!… Get up!… Stand up!… It's gonna be okay!'_

A pair of golden brown eyes flung open as the small black homemade alarm clock played Dream Believer. The sound resounded through out the room.

"Mmmm, five more minutes," a feminine voice mumbled as a slender arm grasped the blanket and drew it around the owner.

'_It is currently 8 o' clock in the morning. Reminders for February 1st:.' _The clock began to play an annoying masculine voice. The beauty of programmed technology. _'The flight to Narita Airport Japan is today at 12 noon. Get your lazy butt out of bed! I'm picking you up at 9 in the morning so we can actually get to JFK **ON TIME**. Surprise, huh? Get your last box out and be at the door at 9 or else. Got that?'_

_Saki kake ta hana ga… _

After the taped reminder was played, the clock began to blast the song Little Skies.The golden orbs stared at the ceiling as the song continued to play. Her eyes shifted to three large black Samsonite suitcases and the ice-blue Jansport shoulder bag on the floor accompanied by the open cardboard box next to it. The rest of the room was stripped of its former pictures and furniture, leaving stark naked white walls and the mahogany wooden planks of the hardwood floor. Moving day was finally here.

----

Echizen Ryoma lazily strolled on the quiet sidewalks in the last glow of the setting February sun. A light sheen of sweat glistened on his skin from that days practice. _Curse buchou for making these practices so long and so pointless for the first years._

"Oi, Echizen!" Momoshiro called out from behind, pedaling profusely on his bright red bicycle. "Chouto matte! _Wait a minute!!_"

The young raven-haired freshman turned around to eye the curiously eccentric tall second-year. Momoshiro panted as he got off his scarlet bike.

"Mada mada dane. _You're still lacking_," came the usual reply.

"Oi, Echizen, is that all you can say?" the older male fumed, messing up the freshman's hair.

"Iie. It's just that this time you were slow, not to mention out of shape too."

The older boy's eyebrow twitched in frustration. _Who does this punk think he is? I'm still his senpai!!!_

"Momoshiro-senpai, ja ne," Ryoma announced after a moment of silence.

"Where are you going? I just got here!" Momoshiro called out after the ever-shrinking figure.

"My second cousin or what not moved into my house from America today, so I need to be home by six."

The tall second-year glanced at his watch. It was 5:59 PM and Ryoma lived two miles off. And he was walking… slowly. That kid sure did know what the word 'punctual' meant.

----

"Tadaima!" The emotionless voice of the freshman rang throughout the hardwood hallway, echoing into the dim house.

"Okairi," Nanako called from the kitchen. The lighted room was filled with sounds of metal clanking and the scent of dinner.

Ryoma's stomach reacted and grumbled at the smell of dinner nearing. Inching around his cousin's line of vision, he reached to grab a small bite of the wakame on the china plate she had just finished. Suddenly a hand shot out and swatted the freshman's roaming hands away.

"Wait until dinner, impatient boy," the pert reply came as Nanako's blue eyes landed to him.

"Eh, where's your relative?"

"Mm? You mean Kane?" Echizen answered mechnically.

"Yes, weren't you supposed to pick her up form the airport?" the elder figure continued to interrogate.

"I was? I thought oyaji was doing that."

"Then what's this?"

Nanako quickly wiped her slender pale hands on the sakura flower printed apron as she walked into the hallway. She picked up a folded up crumpled piece of paper and handed it to Ryoma.

Ryoma quirked his black eyebrows as he received the mysterious note; soon his expression changed.

_Oi, Ryoma! You know your oji-sama, I'm so hard working. So go and kindly pick up your second aunt. _

_-Oyaji_

Ryoma crumpled up the piece of paper and casually tossed it behind him as he scrambled to put on his shoes. _That man who calls himself my father doesn't deserve that title. He's worse than Momoshiro, Eiji, Inui and Fuji put together._

"Itekimas!" the boy yelled, clearly frustrated as his eyebrows seemed to be set into a concrete knit.

"Iteresai!!" the Echizen cousin called after him as Ryoma threw open the door and ran outside.

----

Honey golden eyes darted from the paper held between her slender fingers to the road sign on the post placed on the corner. She brushed back a strand of raven black hair and placed it neatly behind her ear as she picked up her three black Samsonite suitcases and readjusted the positioning of her Jansport shoulder bag.

As she continued to walk down the quiet dimly lit road, her golden orbs tried to focus on the poorly scrawled map drawn by her lazy second cousin. That man didn't even deserve to be called a second cousin.

_Ni ju ichi_ 21, _ni ju san_ 23, _ni ju go_ 25, _ni ju hachi _27.

27. The sharp eyes lifted from the small slip of paper she held between her slender fingers to meet the sight of a traditional Japanese house. A small smile shadowed her features.

_BAM!_ The girl jumped slightly at the large contrast of noises. A murmur of a cat meow rang in the silent night air. A door slammed shut as a small masculine shadow descended from the house.

"Baka," the shadow muttered as it darted down the path from the door to the house gate.

As the shadow turned to exit the property, he crashed into the girl who had her nose buried in the paper, trying to decipher the scrawled handwriting that covered the page.

------

Ryoma cursed as he hit the pavement with a thud. _Who was this annoying pedestrian who wasn't looking where he was going?_ He inwardly fumed as he reached to pick up the cap he had just dropped.

"Gome," he apologized politely as he got up to run.

"Oi, ochibi," the feminine voice spoke as a firm but slender hand snaked out to grab a hold of his elbow.

"Yamerou, Kikumaru-senpai, I really need to go" the first year boy grumbled, twisting his arm out of the speaker's grasp.

"Where? To the bathroom, ochibi?" the feminine voice spoke again, but this time in flawless English.

Golden cat eyes widened in surprise as Echizen turned around to face his acquaintance until he met golden eyes that mirrored his own. There, under the streetlight stood a tall teenage female with hair cascading around her shoulders in great waves of raven black. Upon her back was none other than the spirited blue, red and white of Seigaku.

"Kane."

"So, ochibi, where you rushing to after you forgot to pick up your beloved second aunt?" the addressed female asked, cocking her head slightly in curiousity as she threw him a mysterious silver aluminum can.

"Second aunt?" Ryoma asked, quirking a brow as he single handedly caught the flying object, picking up a black suitcase in the process.

"I know, I know, I sound old. Heck, I'm only two years older than you," Kane mused, as she followed her younger relative up the pathway to the house.

"Then change it, baka."

"Yea, I guess it doesn't matter. It's not like you care anyway. Hey, what did you say? You know, you still need to give me respect as a second aunt!"

"Mada mada dane."

"You, Ryoga and that half-ass father of yours."

The light flooded the dimly lit porch as the door opened into the house.

"Tadaima!"

"Okairi! Kane-san!"

Ryoma's elder cousin stuck out her head from the kitchen as she called a welcome. Upon seeing the new arrival, she promptly proceeded to smother the poor girl.

"Oi, Nanako," the male complained, sensing the overwhelming scent of estrogen in the air.

"Gome, I'm just happy to see my little cousin!" the blue haired female replied cheerfully.

"Eh? Nanako! Don't let Ryoma run you over like that! You should say, 'Know your place boy!'"

"Why would I say that?"

Ryoma sighed as the two girls battled over how they should treat him. Bored, he decided to examine the can Kane had so kindly tossed at him. The bright design on the side of the can read "Ponta". At that, Ryoma happily popped it open and proceeded to chug the liquid inside but quickly stopped short.

"Kane, this is lemon flavored!"

The two females stopped their conversation to turn to the annoyed boy and his puckered lips. Kane smiled.

"I know, ochibi," Kane replied.

"But I hate lemon!" Ryoma exclaimed like a whining little boy.

"I know, just like the first time."

At first, the young Echizen blinked in fury at the girl calm answer and complacent smirk that marked her feature but soon Ryoma's puckered lips subconsciously twisted into a radiant smile. Her presence was like a drug. A happy drug that brought life and color.

_Okairi, Kane._

-----

Ryoma: Oyaji, you're dead!

Father: Really now. Let's see you do that.

Kane: See what I mean by half-assed father?

Father: Hey, show me some respect!

Ryoma and Kane: Respect? HAHAHAHAHAHA. My butt.

Ryoma: That's like having Kikumaru-senpai sit still.

Kane: Haha. Hey, Ryoma, how do you Kikumaru Eiji?

_Tsuzuku_

R&R. Onegai!


	3. Reunion

Disclaimer: I do not own the manga or the anime of Prince of Tennis. Blah, blah, blah… you get the rest.

Believing Dreams of Little Skies

By: Seiano

Chapter 2: Reunion

"_Where's mommy, daddy?"_

"_Over the rainbow."_

"_Will she come back?"_

_At that point in time, my father just averted his gaze from the beautiful painted mirage in the sky and gave me a smile. I thought it was a smile of hope when I was five. But now I know that it was, indeed a forced smile with so much pain. Who knew that that smile would also journey over that same rainbow eight years later? _

---------

The birds chirped and wheeled in the cobalt blue sky. The wind hardly blew, as if it were holding its breath. The morning was still.

Bright sunlight streamed through open window, alighting the brown hair of the Seigaku captain into flames of honey gold, auburn and coffee. The restrained light kissed the pale skin of his face, his neck, his hands and his collarbone. His chest rose and fell slightly, in rhythm to the silence around him. Tezuka Kunimitsu sat at his desk in his quietly absorbing the scene with his naked eyes. He had just woken up.

Suddenly the silence was shattered as his alarm clock rang.

_Wake up!, wake up! It's 6:30. Today is February 3rd._ The beauty of a programmed clock.

His masculine figure lifted from its previous stance to walk over to his nightstand. He let his fingers search for his glasses as the other hand silenced the electronic disturbance.

_Today is February 3rd._

Kunimitsu slid out of his room with fluid grace as he quietly made his way to the bathroom. The sounds of his sleeping family members echoed through the hallways. He creaked open the bathroom door and flicked on the light. Slipping out of his cotton blue pajamas, he turned on the water in the shower. He let the warming drops of water dance on his dance on his skin as he stepped in. He faced the showerhead with lidded eyes. _Tears. _Suddenly, he twisted the knob shut, halting the flow of water and stepped out and dressed rapidly.

_Today is February 3rd._

Without eating any breakfast, he left the house in a suit of casual clothing, leaving nothing behind but a note.

_Okaa-san, Oto-san,_

_I've gone to the cemetery. I'll be back very soon._

_Kunimitsu_

_Today is February 3rd._

The Seigaku captain exited the small bus on the tenth stop. He gazed up to meet a cemetery sign and sighed as he proceeded to walk to the small flower stand on the side. He quickly bought seven white carnations wrapped in a simple red ribbon.

_Today is February 3rd._

The sun began to rise higher and higher into the sky as Tezuka trekked up the path in the cemetery. A half hour later, he reached the desired spot: a large granite tombstone that looked into the sky. Tezuka smiled softly as he readjusted his glasses.

The tombstone was engraved:

Aizawa Yume (1968 – 1996)

and, a fresher graving under it:

Aizawa Kaito (1968 – 2004)

The honey hair-colored male put his two hands together and closed his eyes in silent reverence. Then, he opened his eyes and knelt down to place his flowers on the grave. However, a bouquet of seven white carnations wrapped in a red ribbon already lay upon the grave. A small white card protruded from the flowers. Next to it, in the incense burner, a freshly burned note lay in the flames. Tezuka squinted as he made out the remaining letters in the smoldering ashes.

To my beloved parents who have begun their journey across the rainbow… 

Tezuka placed his own flowers next to the ones already there.

"_I would like seven carnations wrapped with a butterfly knotted red ribbon."_

"_Nande? Why are you so specific?"_

"_The seven white carnations are the seven colors of the rainbow and the white of the clouds of the sky. The red ribbon is luck and a good journey, Tezuka."_

"_So much thought in a simple bouquet."_

"_All for my okaa-san and oto-san."_

"_All for 'okaa-san' and 'oto-san'_, _ka_?"

"_Unh (1)."_

"All for 'okaa-san' and 'oto-san', _ka?_" Kunimitsu whispered as he walked away.

_Today is February 3rd, the day of those who go across the rainbow. _

------

_Pant, pant! Tap, tap!_ Blurs of red, black, brown, white and blue sped around the tennis courts. Suddenly, two black haired students emerged from the crowd and lead the pack.

"Momoshiro, Kaidoh!" the red head exclaimed in a whiny voice. "Come back here! I don't want Inui's 'New and Improved Version IV Inui Special Juice'! Hey, are you listening? Come back! Buchou, tell them to listen to their senpai!!"

As the red head exclaimed on the top of his lungs, the rest of the group sped in front of him until he was left next to the cobalt-eyed, brown haired third year: no other than Fuji.

"Fuji, help me get these morons back. I don't want the juice! I'm not thirsty!" Eiji exclaimed.

"Then, go on ahead, I'll take the juice," Fuji replied with a bright smile on his face.

"Huh?" the bouncy acrobatic regular asked.

"I like the juice."

Eiji stared at the tensai in disbelief. _Kami-sama, help me. Fuji is pure evil. _An image of a looming Fuji with his eyes open on an eerie background popped into Eiji's head. In his picture, the tensai had a smirk and devil's horns and was laughing maniacally while holding none other than a bubbling chemistry flask labeled: NEW AND IMPROVED FUJI SPECIAL POTION with a beautiful dripping skull head with two cross bones sign under it. The ruby headed boy shuddered and ran ahead to join the crowd crossing the finishing point where Inui's shining chemicals awaited. As he exhausted the last of his systems to regain his position, the brown haired tensai sped past him, finishing tenths of a second before his whiny friend.

"Eiji, you are last," Inui announced unceremoniously. "Come receive your reward!"

"Why did you pass me Fuji?" Eiji whined once more as the rest of the team dragged him to his punishment. "Fuji, I thought you liked the juice!"

"I do," the tensai replied with a grin. "I just don't want to drink it today."

Inui loomed over the now sullen third year. Eiji fretfully writhed, trying to get away but Echizen and Momoshiro pinned his limbs down. Kikumaru turned his head to gaze up at his buchou. His eyes seemed to cry out in pain but Tezuka took no heed but was shadowed in a smirk as he walked away to talk to Ryuzaki-sensei. A garish yet eerie glare glinted off Inui's glasses as he poured a large amount of the thick green liquid from the container. Eiji gulped, clamping his mouth shut.

"Come on, Kikumaru-senpai, I had my share yesterday," Momoshiro chided as Echizen and now Oishi pried open the unwilling third year's mouth.

"I thdont ahnt to…!" Eiji protested as the green liquid was poured into his open mouth.

"Swallow," Oishi commanded, his partner obediently did so. Within the next two seconds, Eiji twisted out of the crowd and sprinted to the building… in search of a bathroom, leaving the rest of the regulars in their own fit of laughter.

"What was Eiji doing?" a voice asked in the midst of the crying and knee slapping. The jubilee stopped short, as if caught in breath. The voice sounded so familiar and yet so foreign. Heads slowly turned to look over shoulders.

"Oh, there you are, Ryoma," the voice continued, growing louder as the footsteps approached the group.

"Why are you here?" the addressed replied.

"Papers, exams for high school," the unknown spoke in a bored tone, but polite tone. "Why are they so quiet?"

A slender finger pointed at the gaping group. They seemed to sit there like dumb statues on the side of the court as the rest of the world ran its course. _Dumb statues. Interesting way to say it._

"Hello?" the newly arrived asked, waving her hand in front of the blank faces. She wondered what would happen if she pushed one of the guys over. Would they fall and crumble to pieces? She giggled at the thought. _Shuffle, shuffle._

"Aizawa…Kane?"

The girl turned around to face the speaker to find a wide-eyed gawking young man. His brown haired swayed in the light breeze as he tried to discern the image before his eyes. He swallowed slightly and continued to breathe through parted lips of awe. His chocolate eyes met wide bright golden brown ones. Rebellious strands of raven hair flew from the tight bun atop her head, blowing across her face and hiding her open mouth. Time seemed to stop. Suddenly, the pale feminine lips cracked into a small smile.

"Kunimitsu, it's good to see you."

---------

The moon was a creamy pearl in the azure blue sea dotted with bright crystal gems. It was beautiful, such that the wind stopped at the demanding command of beauty. The streetlights fluttered on, spilling its white rays upon the dark streets. Today's practice had really gone out of hand. Two male figures proceeded down the lane with long shadows obediently mimicking each move. The two auburn haired students walked in silence. One of them turned his face to the sky with a smile and opened his cobalt blue eyes to the moon.

"Neh, Tezuka, you're quiet today," the student spoke keeping his gaze on the moon.

"No, I'm like this all the time Fuji," the addressed replied stoically.

"I wasn't talking about that, Tezuka," Syuusuke replied quietly as he averted his face to the one he was addressing. "I mean, you're unusually quiet for a day when Kane's around."

_Aizawa._ Tezuka's glasses flashed slightly as he picked up his head to face his friend. He smiled lightly.

"Don't you think it's amazing that she came back, Tezuka?"

"Unh."

"Who thought that she would come back? She made it sound like she was going forever that time."

"Unh."

"What am I talking about? You should know that the best, Tezuka. You were the one who asked her to run with you today. Even I haven't had that privilege yet."

_The run with Aizawa, _ka

---------

flashback

"Kunimitsu, it's good to se you again."

"Kane? Hountou ni?" Eiji asked, blinking as if he were dreaming.

"Unh. In the flesh." Kane smiled a close-eyed Fuji trademark smile. It was like someone took a photo of Fuji and photo shopped it.

"23 percent that I am dreaming things and 77 percent that Aizawa Kane is really standing in front of me." Inui buried his head in one of his notebooks, scribbling calculations and data.

"I'm the real thing, Inui." Kane poked Inui on the shoulder.

"It's really Aizawa-senpai!" Momoshiro exclaimed as he clung to Ryoma.

"Urusai, porcupine head." Kaidoh hissed at his opponent.

"You shut up, mamushi!"

"Old rivalries never do die down, do they?" Kane sweat dropped as she attempted to break the two up. The two obediently did so when she pushed them both away by placing a hand of each of their chests. Kaidoh and Momoshiro immediately blushed and bowed deeply in apology.

"Kane." Oishi stood behind her, as if expecting something. The girl turned around and gave him another Fuji trademark smile. It was a wonder the tensai and her weren't related.

"Konichiwa, okaa-san." The female bowed deeply to the vice captain, leaving him blushing and nervously laughing.

"Kane is commanding," a feminine voice cooed at the side. Kane turned her head to face the speaker. Cobalt blue eyes met hers as the male neared where she stood.

"Open wide, Kane." Deft fingers stuck something in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed and suddenly began to tear.

"Fuji, you and your wasabi sushi!" Kane raged after the tensai. Fuji smiled. _Pay back for stealing my trademark smile. Know never to mess with Fuji Syuusuke._

Fuji suddenly stopped and allowed the pursuing Kane bump into him and drape her arms around his shoulders. She laughed.

Tezuka stood on the side, stunned. The world seemed to whirl around him. Why did he feel so misplaced when she came back? He suddenly heard a female's laughter. _It sounds like the tinkering of bells in the Eastern wind_, he thought. He viewed as his companions ran around and laughed.

"Do you understand this, buchou?"

Kunimitsu let his eyes wander to the capped boy standing next to him. Ryoma returned the gaze with his questioning eyes. Tezuka smiled.

"Oi, why are you guys slacking?" the buchou yelled, clapping his hands in search of attention. "Twenty laps around the court!"

"But we just finished running!" Eiji complained in defiance. Other grumbles chorused and supported the red head with nods for once.

"Go on," Tezuka commanded and the regulars obeyed for fear of a greater punishment. As Fuji prepared to start on his run, he turned to see Kane and Tezuka.

"As for you, Aizawa, for causing this disturbance," the buchou stated, "forty laps around the school property."

"Wizu," the girl responded with a smile and stretched to begin her run. Tezuka stood beside her.

"Naniyo, Tezuka?" she inquired as she tied her shoelaces.

"Forty laps for me," he replied looking down at her, "for not doing anything at the right time."

She quirked an eyebrow at the third year. When she saw his face shadowed by a smirk, she smiled and took off. Fuji smiled as he, too, turned around for his run.

_Lap thirty-six. _The Seigaku tennis team captain eyed the panting girl beside him. He smiled between pants. _The card in the carnations had one word on it: kane._ Indeed, today was a reunion. After all, today was February 3rd.

-------

Fuji: Oooooo. Tezuka likes someone.

Tezuka: You're the more likely one.

Fuji: No, see how Tezuka acts?

Tezuka: You're too loud, Fuji. You're giving me a headache. Go and be be the devil that you are to someone else.

Fuji: _I actually got permission! _sneaks up to Kaidoh (who just came back from his run) and puts a large piece of ice down his back

Kaidoh: AHHH!!

Tezuka: rubs temples I didn't mean it like that, Fuji!

_Tsuzuku_

– Denoting of simple reply that is basically used in oriental Asian languages

A/N: Hope this was okay. I've had a blockage of ideas for a bit. Please R&R!!


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